A Fractured History
by KisaraBlueAshes
Summary: The forgotten city of Atlantis held a history that may have sparked the existence of the shadow games. Some tell tales of what they believed happened before the fall of Atlantis, and others can only theorize if the city had ever existed at all. This is the story of a boy who lived within that fractured part of history. This is the story of Critias, and his princess.
1. Prologue

It was only a dream, but he was certain that he had felt a gust of wind graze the skin of his cheek. What ever his dream had been, its quickly had faded, and left his memory. His dreams were always that way. Forever fleeting, and never staying. Though he tries to recall any part of the visions of his sleep, he sighs knowing he should wake and return to his work.

But then he felt it again— the wind on his face. It was more of a shock this time, as his eyes force themselves open, only to see the same sight he expected. The sun was still high, much further away for him than for most people. Small shadows speckle by as the fish swim overhead, followed by a larger shadow of what appears to be a whale.

"They don't normally swim so close to the city." He speaks aloud to himself with a smile.

He wasn't quite sure why he staggered for breath, but he could only assume it was his quickly forgotten dream that put him on edge. Remembering the phantom winds that he had felt, he sat up and looked around. His fields in the distance remained still. The lanterns that line the path to his farm do not sway. Yet, the hairs on his arms stand as he feels chilled. Tiny bumps scatter across his pale arms, and yet the air is warm.

"Nothing ever changes here. Why would I have thought there would be wind here?" He asks aloud again.

He was used to talking to himself. There was no one else around to listen anyway, so what harm could possibly befall a man who says his thoughts aloud to himself?

Taking a minute to collect himself, he again stares out at his fields. The harvest this season won't be as bountiful. His crops were usually plentiful and succulent, just as it had been when his parents had first started their farm here. Perhaps it was the lack of help he had this year? His brother had been away for months, pursuing his dream of becoming an imperial guard and visiting the oracle to find out if he carried the blood of a guardian. Though unlikely, he did carry a strong resemblance to one of the guardians.

But he scoffed at his older brother's foolish dreams. Why does the king of the hidden kingdom of the sea need an army? And..

"Who would want to carry the blood of a dragon anyway?" He asks the air around him, with nothing in response.

When the soldiers passed through, years and years ago, it was discovered that their own mother was born with the blood of a dragon. She was then forced to leave the home she and her husband created together, only to be taken before the oracle to be tested. Being a woman, there was no possible way that she could have been a reborn guardian…

But her blood was discovered to be royalty.

It was from that moment on, he would never see his mother again. Anyone with dragon's blood was already taken from their homes to live in luxury inside the imperial city. A dragon blood royal though… They would live within the kingdom, their destiny assigned at their birth.

His mother's duty was to raise the princesses into queens. At the time, only three of the queen dragons had reincarnated and been brought into the kingdom. Of those three, only one was still a mere child. The eldest queen was married to the king, the embodiment of the immortal Leviathan. He has ruled since the beginning, and is the sole reason for Atlantis's descent into the sea, the laws of the city, and their hierarchy...

While escorting the young princess, his mother had made an attempt to meet with their father, his brother, and himself at the market, just outside the kingdom walls. For that brief moment of seeing her family again, she had left his father with a message… And as if abandoning them entirely, she returned with the princess to her kingdom.

A few years later… His father sat he and his brother down for a talk. Still just children, it was hard to understand. As an adult now however, he knows what his father meant.

"I'm leaving the deed to our land to the both of you. Tomorrow… I will leave the farm, and we will never meet again. Your mother… she needs me..." Distraught, the boys could only listen as their father gave them little information to go off of. "You shall forget my name, and bring honor to a new family name... for our family name now is about to come to ruin. The next you hear of me... Think of me as a stranger. And though you'll know that I was never meant to be a good man... I hope you will remember me as a good father..."

Weeks went by with just the two sons tending the farm before the news finally spread to the out skirts of the city. For the first time in their history, a murder has been committed. The death of the young princess had shaken the whole Kingdom, following the suicide of the princess's care giver... His mother. But before the murderer could take his own life, he had been subdued. It was his father, and the two sons kept their promise and viewed him as nothing more than a stranger... But still, they couldn't help but mourn him.

And to this day, he remembered that stranger has a terrible man... but a good father. In following days after the crime was committed, his father was brought before an imperial court, chosen by the King himself. There, he would receive his final judgment. In fear of his reincarnate also becoming tyrannical, he was sentenced to _immortal_ imprisonment. This brought forth rumors, as well as concern, for only the King had ever held the ability of being immortal... So how was his father supposed to be eternally imprisoned?

As soon as his judgment had been passed, an order was created to erect a prison that could be seen from anywhere in the Kingdom, even the outskirts and cities beyond the Kingdom walls could see the structure. Eight towers were built, nearly reaching the top of the dome that allows the city to stay beneath the sea. From each tower hung large, skyscraper length chains that held in the sky an inverted pyramid. At the pit of this pyramid is where his father would be held for all of existence.

A constant reminder of the stranger he promised never to forget, with a name he swore never to remember. And yet... he would remain being looked down on by the Kingdom and all it's people… All because he bore the resemblance of the man. He could lie to the world, and claim that the man would never have any relation to him… But there was no denying that he was a spitting image of him.

"Hey Seto." A familiar voice called to him as he was lost in thought.

Looking back over his shoulder, in the direction that the prison hung, and just beyond the hill he sat upon, stood the familiar man.

His older brother had returned. "Mokuba?"


	2. Bargaining

**Author's Notes:**

_I fixed up some grammar and punctuation issues that I found while rereading the prologue. No changes have been made to the plot though. Sorry for uploading a few days late. I got a rocket-book, which learns my hand writing and automatically turns my writing into text, so that I don't have to retype my drafts, saving me time on editing, and motivating me to write more often. (I prefer drafting with pen and paper, and I'm always writing that way.) I did have an error with this chapter uploading to my email (several pages weren't syncing) which is why it took a few more days._

_If you find any issues that I may have overlooked, please let me know and I will fix them right away. I'd also love to hear your feedback on the world I've thought up, as well as the plot for my story._

_I do leave updates on my profile for anyone waiting for my chapter updates. Thank you for reading, and I hope you will enjoy this story, and please be patient with me._

* * *

"You're home?" Seto stood, his blond hair falling just below his shoulders, with one long strand tied back, lying against his collar bone.

His older brother chuckled. "It's not for long, so don't get used to it."

Mokuba stood a full foot taller than he did. The two truly looked nothing alike. Mokuba's hair was black as coal, and his eyes resembled their mother's, a piercing red. The years of working on the farm had his muscles defined, and his body toned. If ever there were a man who resembled he last guardian, it was surely him.

"No need to be crude." Seto scratched the back of his head. "It's a long way away from the imperial city. If you're headed back, I'm assuming things have gone well for you?"

An optimistic smile crept over him. "It's not everything I've ever dreamed, but so far things are proving to be in my favor."

"Oh yeah?" Seto didn't actually care much, but waved his brother to follow him as he stood up. "Well, tell me more over dinner. I have to get my stew over the fire."

"I have so many things to tell you. I can hardly wait that long!" His brother was always more excitable than Seto ever was. "And actually..."

Mokuba took large strides to match his brother's pacing. He lied his hand on Seto's shoulder, pulling him to a halt. Seto peered over his shoulder, his darker purple eyes with the oddly white pupils staring back at him. Another horrid reminder that he was a chip off the old block and a spitting image at that.

"I won't be able to stay that long either." Mokuba's smile had quickly faded. "I'm actually on an assignment right now."

"Assignment?" Seto asked. "Doing what exactly?"

"Well… Just as I set out to do..." Mokuba stood in attention, his demeanor now serious. "I've been knighted 'Sir Mokuba.' Of the imperial guard at that."

Seto couldn't fully face him, but still stared over his shoulder. It only took him a moment to turn and continue walking to his home.

"Congratulations." He sighed, not seeing the appeal in being a soldier when the only threat to all of Atlantis was their father, whom was locked away for eternity. "I'm glad you got what you wanted."

"W—wait!" Mokuba ran after his brother. "I know you're against the imperial knights. I get that, but I've come to ask you for a favor..."

"What could a farm boy like myself _possibly_ do for an imperial guard, huh?" Seto started down the hill towards the pathway that would lead him to his house.

"I want you to be there…" He was forward with his request. "You don't need to live on this farm, worrying about the harvests constantly anymore."

"No." Seto didn't hesitate to reject the offer.

"I'm not asking you to become a soldier." Mokuba continued. "I make enough now for the two of us to live comfortably. And in the city for that matter!"

"No." Seto rolled his eyes and continued forward.

He _was_ comfortable where he was; the home he was raised in, doing the laborious work he took pride in. Sure, not having anyone to help him made it more difficult and caused him to spend the majority of his time working, but every single year, it was his crops that were purchased to be taken to the kingdom. His produce was cooked, prepared, and served to the royals. If he was to be the last person to work on this farm, than he'd gladly do so until the day he died.

"If you won't come to stay… Will you at least come to view my judgment?" Mokuba's words stopped Seto in his tracks. He swallowed the air drying out his mouth before continuing, "The oracle will be passing judgment on me in twelve days. It's important to me… I'm already making my way through the ranks. Even the princess of the west sees potential in me to become a royal knight. And..."

There was a silence between the two for a moment.

"And I want to know if I carry the blood of a dragon… Just like mom." Mokuba stared to the dirt below.

"Is that so?" Seto asked, again not actually caring all that much.

"Yes… While I was training in the arena against other soldiers… The princess of the west was passing by on the imperial bridge the crosses over the colosseum." Mokuba looked up to the sea, staring to the dome as if he were recalling the memory. "She was walking with the guardian, Hermos. She was running her hand over the sides of the walls, gracing the limestone with her touch." He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, clearly taken by her. "I caught her eye with my resemblance to the previous guardian, who they still await on his reincarnate. She had one of the royal guard meet with me, handing me a scroll that requested my meeting with the oracle, as decree by the Princess of the West, and the parchment was even embedded with her seal as proof of royalty. Given the date… I was sent on an assignment to complete before returning to the city and preparing for my judgment..."

Mokuba let out a brief sigh, soaking in the distorted rays of the sun before looking back forward to his brother, whose back remained turned to him. "So please… will you at least come to my judgment?"

Finally, Seto turned back to his older brother. He, too, sighed, but for different reasons. "Even if I wanted to go, I wouldn't be able to. I'm the only one tending the crops here now. Just a few days could wither my fields, and ruin the harvest that the kingdom is expecting. The royals expect my harvests to be plentiful. I can't afford to leave, and you and I both know that the kingdom is a four day walk, with little time to rest between nights."

"You wouldn't be going by foot, I can send a carriage for you and cut two days off your way in to the city and two days off your way back home."

Mokuba bargained with him." And I can pay the neighboring farm keepers to tend to your fields in your absence."

Seto sighed again. It just came down to the fact that he didn't want to go. The furthest that he' s left his home was to the market place outside the first city' s walls. It was a day and a half by foot, and he only ever was there to trade off produce for money or materials. And it wasn't fear keeping him away… It was Seto' s own resemblance to his father that kept him away. The moment anyone looked at his eyes, they would know he was the son of the criminal.

"It's important to me, Seto." Mokuba explained, "I want to know if my blood holds dragon's blood… Like moms…"

"Why is it important that I'm there though?" Seto tried to level a with him. "If people see you with me… They'll know your also the son of the criminal..."

"The princess already knows, and she doesn't care..." Mokuba rubbed his forehead in frustration."What can I do to get you to go?"

" You want to negotiate?"

" If that's what it takes."

Seto closed his eyes, trying not to get a head ache from this banter. What could be enough to get him to go? What would make the trip worth it to him? All he wanted to do was work on his farm.

"I want help on the farm. Be it a hired hand or new tools." Seto opened his eyes and blew his bangs out of his face. "That's my condition."

Mokuba smiled. "That can be arranged! I'll get a messenger out to request aid from the neighboring farmers, to tend your fields during your absence. We'll depart in seven days. After the judgment, you'll be compensated with either workers or tools; whichever you choose. I'll then have a carriage deliver you home, so everything will go back to how things were. I'll even supply payment for those who worked on your farm during your leave."

"We'll depart in seven days, and yet you can't even stay for dinner?" Seto sounded like a mother, scolding their child for being late…

"I told you. I'm on an assignment." His eyes retreated to the side as he though critically thinking for a moment. "I should probably get back now honestly… I'm on an escort assignment… But I was asked to turn a blind eye for a bit..."

Seto rose a brow, somewhat curious, but not enough to intrude on his brother's work. "Fetch me for our departure when the day comes then. I've got dinner to prepare and more work to do before the night. I also need to visit the shrine today."

"The dragon of the south's shrine?"

"Yes." Seto turned to make his leave. "Today's the offering day for me. I do an offering every few days with a prayer."

"Mother and father only did offerings once a season… Right before a harvest." Mokuba's voice was somber in tone as he stared down to the ground, tepidly smiling at the memory.

Seto began to walk away, the same cold expression he always bore. "Yeah, well... It's just me now. And I'm not them… Things are harder now than they were in those times."

They didn't say goodbye to one another. They both just walked away, each to a set destination of work. But though things seemed to be settled, the tone still left a sour taste in Seto's mouth. Since Mokuba had left to become an imperial guard, Seto just didn't look up to his brother the way that he use to. In fact, he didn't look up to him at all anymore. It had been just the two of them for roughly fifteen years, since losing bother of their parents. But Mokuba leaving made Seto feel… bitter. So he closed Himself off. it was just easier not to be attached to his family this point.

It's as though the world was bound and determined for him to end up alone…

* * *

After preparing his stew, Seto left it to simmer over his fire pit, just outside his small farm house. He began to gather some of his already harvested produce, as well as some incense and a small water bowl for his visit to the Southern Dragon's Shrine. Had he not run out of flowers, he would have been able to present a better offering, but all that mattered were the thoughts and feelings he put into his prayer towards the harvest.

At least it wasn't a long walk to the shrine. Just beyond his fields were hills that lead to the neighboring orchard. Just beyond that was the shrine. It wasn't as big as he had heard the other shrines were. Atlantis was so big, and the Southern Shrine was the furthest away from the kingdom. Rumor has it, that's the reason for the Southern Dragon's reincarnate for taking longer than the others, as well as the guardian who would only ever be found after the princess was.

The Southern Shrine sat at the boarder of Atlantis's edge. It represented fertility, and good fortune towards peaceful days. It's said the princess who reincarnates as the Dragon of the South is quiet and standoffish compared to her sister princesses and the chosen queen among them. But Seto always felt calm while at the shrine. If the princess was standoffish, he believed that it was more of a show of respectfulness to the boundaries her people. Where most royalty would tower over those who were viewed as lower, but this dragon was not like the others… she gave off the feeling of accepting all.

And so, she would be worshiped at the farthest point from the kingdom, The Edge.

The Edge is what's known as the dome that covers the entirety of Atlantis, keeping it submerged beneath the sea. The four White Dragon Shrines, each of a different cardinal directions, were said to be the anchors that hold the edge in place, as well as allow those born in Atlantis to be able to reincarnate. There's never been a worry for over population due to this "blessing." And because each person born in Atlantis has had their soul once carried in a past life, the oracle is able to see into the lives they once lived. Thus, she may pass judgment on the souls of all, allowing her the visions of who are royalty, who are the guardians, who are born of dragon's blood, and who are just… normal.

Of course, physical features also carry a large role with the judgments that the oracle would pass. Most people in Atlantis carry dragon's blood, putting them on the higher pedestal of the hierarchy created by the immortal king. Very few people are considered to be "normal." Normal humans, well, they live a normal life. They live further away from the royal city. Normal humans can choose to live however they ... They don't reincarnate… Their souls tend to linger. There are few who can see the restless souls of those who reincarnate, and even fewer who can see those who linger. Those that reincarnate… They will always be carriers of dragon's blood.

Though Seto wasn't completely sure of how the reincarnation cycle worked, this is at least what he could gather from what he remembered his mother explaining it to him. He didn't understand why souls couldn't be created, so that there could be even more within Atlantis… But he did learn from his father… A soul is capable of being destroyed, never to reach their next life.

In this life and the next… He would never see his mother again. He knew that more than anything. And his father wished to perish with her…

But he wouldn't think about that now. Not before he was to make an important prayer. He hadn't even realized just how lost in thought he had been. Seto found himself nearing the shrine as it came into view. Just the sight of it was relaxing to him. Taking in a deep breath, he approached the small shrine. He climbed it's white stair case to the smaller columns that lined the outside of the shrine's entrance. The columns each had etched out of them a small, square cut hole to act as a shelf. This is where the offerings would be set.

He took in a deep breath once more, feeling the calm air again as he prepared to set his offering. He closed his eyes, thinking of his prayer. He was ready to set up his offering.


	3. When a Prayer is Answered

_I fixed up some grammar and punctuation issues that I found while rereading the last chapter. I thought I had done a better job fixing it up before uploading, but I must have been tired and made a lot of errors, especially towards the end. I'll do my best to pay my chapters more attention. You all deserve a story worth reading, and I will do my best to deliver that._

* * *

To his surprise, there was already an offering set up in the column Seto would typically use. For a moment, he stared at the column from the top of the stair case before turning and going to the one across from it's facing. Another offering had already been made. This was very odd to him. It wasn't like the other farmers to make offerings more than once a year, just before the harvest festival. To see multiple at once otherwise… He couldn't explain why it happened. Holding everything in his hands, he walked to the other columns. Ever last one of them had an offering already prepared, each lit with incense, lined with flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Decorated with weaves of wicker and wheat, with sparkling bowls of water. They were all the same, each one exquisite and beautiful.

Someone had a wish for the Dragon of the South, and they wanted that wish more than anything. Their respect for her most have been far greater than Seto could have imagined. Where most people would never have gifted her such outstanding offerings, every place holder was filled in her honor.

Astonished, Seto could only smile. If only he had the pleasure of meeting the person who loved the shrine's dragon as much as he. Perhaps there's one other being out there that he could be content with having an acquaintance with. But just perhaps. His eyes would surely scare them away.

With a sigh, the realization came to him that there was no possible way for him to set up a proper offering with no columns available. Instead, he walked through the small garden, stepping around the pond that centered the walkway. He admired the small amount of koi fish that swam from the pond to the small stream that led into it, exiting from both sides of the shrine. Koi weren't the kind of fish you'd see outside the dome. The didn't like being so far beneath the sea, so he was dazzled by the way found their home here. Everything about this shrine was perfect to him. Every last detail was important to him, even in the smallest way.

It was then that he noticed a slight hum. As he neared the entrance of the shrine itself, the hum came more clearly to him as a voice, muffled behind the limestone doors. The thick doors made the words incoherent, and yet… He felt as though he could some how understand them. As if mesmerized, he could only stare at the door. Too paralyzed to move, he just stared. During the passing of the time, he questioned why he couldn't break his gaze from the door and fought with his mind of trying to move forward, and open the doors.

But his was more than words he was hearing now. He knew it was a song. The person just on the other side of those doors offered their voice in their prayer. And for that, Seto was in awe. This person was surely the same who placed all the offerings. He was almost envious of this person, and yet… He felt as though he couldn't be.

"Who…?" He managed to ask aloud, knowing that he couldn't be heard.

He suddenly broke free of his trance, reaching forward and placing his hand on the door. He held it there, questioning if he should enter. He didn't want to interrupt the prayer, but his curiosity struck ever so strong. Typically, Seto had so much more self control, but at that instance, he couldn't hold back.

It took a moment for him to initiate the push on the door. His muscles tensed in his arms as he did. The moment the doors separated, the sound of her voice filled the air. Her words were clear, but the language was not typical. In fact, he had never heard the language. It was fluent, and ancient. This was the original tongue spoken of the dragons, mostly forgotten in this day. All the more, he was in awe. The silver haired woman sung in a dead language without any flaw.

Seto pushed the doors more, now able to press himself inside the shrine. The moment his foot met the stone floor, he felt a force call him to a halt. He watched, as the woman rose her left hand high, turning it to and reaching out to the left. Her right hand was held to her chest in front of her, where Seto could not see. She lowered her left hand back to her side and extended her right hand as if reaching to the sky, but also appearing as if she were reaching to the head of the dragon statue that stared down to the spot to which she stood.

The eyes of the statue were glowing. Had he not been so taken aback by the woman, he would have noticed it sooner. She continued her tune, the words that he shouldn't understand somehow seeming apprehensible to him. It was as if he knew the words she spoke were of the "light." As if she were speaking of the sun gracing her skin with its burning rays. A beacon that guides her higher and higher, and yet… Being so trapped in the depths. She will never reach the sun the calls to her, no matter how many prayers she makes.

And with that, silence befell the shrine. The echo escaped to the outside behind where he stood. What ever was causing her to feel imprisoned… She couldn't care it any more. She closed her hand to a gentle fist before lowering her hand to her side. Seto could feel the hurt inside of her. It was the strangest of feelings. He never knew of empathy for anyone outside his home, even losing the feeling towards his older brother.

The moment her words ended, Seto felt as though he could move again, finishing his insertion inside the shrine. The clack of his cleat against the stone drawing the woman's attention. Quickly, she turned to face him, the sharp blue eyes piercing straight to the core of his soul. He falters as her stare meets his own eyes. Her white hair falls over her shoulders, draping the outsides of her silk robes that hugged her pale skin. This woman, was without a doubt, one of the descendents of the white dragons.

"How long have you stood there?" Her voice was bold, something Seto had not expected from how frail she appeared.

Seto swallowed the air that felt so thick in his lungs. "Not long… Just enough to see you raise your hand with the final words of your prelude."

Her brows intensified. "Odd choice of words..."

"Were they?" He thought over his speech. "Perhaps they were a bit formal. I apologize for that..."

His eyes broke their gaze and looked down to the floor. It was riddled with petals. He hadn't once noticed before hand. It was more like he had interrupted a ritual, and not so much a prayer. He took a sharp inhale, before looking back to her. She fully faced him, holding her hands together in front of her. In the distorted light that seeped through the cracks of the shrine, she looked like a bride, ready to be taken away. Seto felt ashamed of himself for being able to gaze upon her beauty.

"Why are you here?" She asked him, catching him off guard by her softened expression.

For a moment, Seto looked away, feeling the weight of the items he brought with him for his offering beneath his arm and against his waist. "I had been planning to do my offering today. All of the columns were taken though. I walked the garden while I thought of what I should do, since I couldn't offer anything until a place was free. That's when I heard your voice."

He couldn't figure out why he spoke such honesty with her. Perhaps it was the impressive display of her offerings, mixed with an even greater prayer. Perhaps it was how much he had wanted to meet the person who had made such great offerings. But the more he stood within her presence… The more uneasy he felt. She never once broke her gaze. She held herself tall, and though she was much smaller in build… Her aura was intimidating. Perhaps this is what it meant to be within the same space as a dragon decedent.

"I apologize for bothering you during your prayer..." Seto looked back to her, trying to maintain a firm appearance. "I was distracted by your voice. I didn't mean to cause a disturbance."

"Your… Prayer," the woman started, "would you tell me what it was?"

Though he was confused by her request, he felt as though he couldn't deny it. And that… made her truly terrifying in his eyes. "I was going to pray to the Dragon of the South, to bring a good harvest from my fields, and a bountiful gain for the royal family. I wanted to ask her for protection of my land in my absence, and guidance on the coming years."

She listened intently, a small smile forming on her lips. "How often do you come to make prayer?"

The more she wanted to know, the more Seto felt confused. "I come every few days..."

"Does she…" The woman was hesitant in that moment for the first time. "Does the Dragon answer your prayers? Surely, you've heard the rumors of her insolence. And how she's viewed as a bigot. Yet… You still offer this shrine your prayers?"

"I don't think those things of her." I answered confidently. "I find solace here. And while I can't be certain that she directly answers my prayers… She is the only one who I could ask for such things. The Dragon of the South does not look down on me. She hears me. And that's all I could ask."

The woman fell silent, taking in the words he spoke. Her smile quickly faded as she thought of what he said. Seto couldn't be sure, but he felt as though she didn't believe him. Her gaze spoke immeasurable amounts of disarray. Seto couldn't hope to understand her. The intimidation that she held was inconsistent, but Seto was somehow able to comprehend every emotion this girl shed. Was that just how those with dragon's blood were? He had never been so close to one, not since his mother. But he couldn't recall if things were ever like that back then.

"I should leave you to your prayer." Seto was ready to make his leave, feeling as though he's becoming a burden to the woman. "I'm sorry for causing you any disturbance."

"That's twice now, that you've assumed you disturbed me." She spoke with a bold tone once again. "Tell me… Why do you think that?"

He scoffed, becoming somewhat irritated with all of the questions she had for him. "Because I would be bothered if my prayer were interrupted. Try as I might… I wasn't able to walk away from the sound of your voice. It was rude of me."

"My voice..." She spoke quietly to herself, as she rose her hand to her mouth, pressing the knuckle of her index finger to her bottom lip. "Does it… restrain you?"

"Completely..." He says without thought.

His response leaves the woman in silence. It is that moment, he notices something about her that causes Seto to freeze once again where he stands. This woman… Has white pupils, the same that he despises within his own eyes. But why? It was trait he had never seen outside him and his father's eyes. Why did someone who appeared so perfect before him carry such a horrific trait?

"I'm sorry to have kept you with my questions." She apologized. "Allow me to clear out a column for you, so you may set your offering. Or, feel free to set it at the alter."

She stepped to the side, giving sight to the alter that the Dragon Statue had perched itself upon. The alter was never a place he had considered for an offering, and yet… She already had an offering placed there. Seto hadn't once noticed the incense burning, its scent somehow just now lingering to him. She was like magic, preforming tricks before his eyes.

All the more reason for him not to like the dragons. "It's alright. I don't want to take from your prayers. I'll return tomorrow and give my prayer then. I'll be going now."

And though it was difficult for him to break their locked gaze, he forced himself to turn, and take a few strides out the shrine. What ever grip she had on him was suddenly uplifted, as he felt much more free returning to the distorted light of the day. He walked back through the garden, passing it's streams and returning to the steps where he could now exit the shrine. But he stopped just a few steps down, the feeling building in his chest.

It felt _wrong_ for him to walk away as he had. It felt _disrespectful._ Would it be like this in the imperial city? In the kingdom where most people who walked the streets there carried dragon's blood as well? The more he thought of it, the more he feared being away from his farm. He still wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from that place as possible.

Seto rose his head, looking to the outer dome above him. He could stare at the sun without worry, knowing the light was distorted, and unable to burn him through the waters that surrounded their city. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his now racing heart as he fought with this feeling of restraint in his chest.

_Woosh._

His eyes nearly burst out of his skull as his hair was blown off his shoulders and swaying behind him. This was a sharp gust of wind, something he had never experienced before in his entirely lifetime. It wasn't just a moment, but a continuing flow of wind. It hurt his eyes, causing them to shut as he turned his back to the gusts. Holding on to his own items for the offering so the wouldn't be pulled away, he reopened his eyes to see the offerings being put out by the winds. The flames burning their incense immediately dispersing. As soon as their smoke had cleared, the winds had stopped.

And his lungs hurt as they finally relaxed. His heart that was beating hastily finally halted. A calm overwhelmed him. Every muscle in his body became loose, and his skin crawled with chills.

Somehow, he knew… He could feel that he knew… Her prayers were denied.


	4. The Edge

The night felt like it lasted an eternity. Typically, all his hard work and his same day schedule would have Seto passing out the moment he hit the feather and hay filled mattress. But this night, he had no such luck. He was restless, constantly tossing and turning. The thought of the day he just lived was replaying though his head. Over and over, he could still vividly remember the feeling of the wind on his skin. He couldn't shake the chill of the cold gust across his cheeks. It wasn't that he feared what had happened. It just wasn't natural.

With a heavy sigh, he turned over onto his side. His tired eyes gazed out the window panes to the fields that lined his farm. Crops were sprouting one by one. Buds and roots bloomed with succulent and vibrant foods. Even in the darkness of the nightfall, he knew the harvest was approaching at a rapid pace.

Seto blinked a few times, testing the weight of his eyelids. He was sill so restless. As numbness started to take over his arm, he rolled himself back onto his back, staring at the planks of his wooden ceiling. There was always the familiar chip in the platform above him, leaving a wide enough gap for sunlight to trickle through at day break. It was enough to wake him for his days of work. What most people would consider a poor life of wasting away in labor, Seto smiled knowing that he had the wealth that many would never know.

He alone upheld the beginning of a legacy of farmers in this household. Sure, it was his mother and father who took over this land as the previous owner reached his fragile age, unable to continue fulfilling his duties in his line of work, but Seto still called it a legacy. He's the second generation in the family legacy, and that was a luxury in and of it's own in his eyes.

He had a wooden structure that he could easily modify. Almost everything nearing the imperial city was made of stone. In his mind, he viewed them as trapped, imprisoned in a stone cage yet viewing it as a home. Technically, every one in Atlantis was comparable to that, but here, in his wide open lands nearing the edge… He was as free as any Atlantian could ever truly hope to be.

The thought of that is what he tried to focus on as the night grew later. He tried so hard to bring his mind to peace so that he could finally fall asleep and be well rested so he could begin the day on his same routine—back to normal. Working his fields. Happily in silence. Alone near the edge. Tomorrow, the only thing different would be that his delayed prayer.

A soft sigh, and he smiled into the stillness. He let exhaustion consume him. But as quickly as his consciousness faded, a sliver of light broke through the seems of the boards of his ceiling. Day break. The light hit his eyes.

Back to work.

He sat up quickly, his eyes burning from feeling so dry. A night of no sleep. How could this have kept him up all night? He clasped his face in his left hand. He grit his teeth as he attempted to fight an oncoming headache. He felt a bit unstable, but he pushed himself through it. Toppling out of bed, he prepared himself for a long, drawn out day.

In his washroom, he poured cold buckets of water down his head. He bathed him cold herbs and scrubbed himself down with a honey and beeswax soap he stock piled to make fewer trips out to the farmer's trade market in town.

He dressed in light cotton clothing and wore leather gloves to protect his hands from scraping, cutting, and splintering from his tools and pulling up weeds. He also wore thick leather boots, to protect his feet from dirt and gravel, thorns and sticks, or whatever litters the ground around him.

Before finally setting out of his house, he ate a meal of bread with jam made from the grapes of a neighboring vineyard. Seto would trade his crops and services every so often with the other farmers, or at the prior mentioned trade market so that he could get those few things he wasn't able to grow on his farm. With his bread, he sipped some tea with a blend of herbs, spices, and a thickened milk that he put together himself. Though tired as can be, his meal tasted… extraordinary compared to usual. He used this positivity to encourage himself to find the energy to carry himself through the rest of the day.

With that, he cleaned his dishes and set them aside his new, fresh produce and other items he would take to the shrine later on in attempts to finally get in his prayer. Seto liked to wait for the sun to have a fuller beacon over the land before offering his prayers. As he readied himself out of the house, he contemplated his plans for checking his fields and making time to leave for his offering. Checking for weeds would come first, as well as checking for any bugs and signs of critters.

And he did just that, carrying on his back a barrel shaped pack that he could discard any undesirables into. As he went along each row of crops, he kicked away rock out of his tills where he'd pour water on later. He plucked away dead leaves and broken branches, throwing them into his pack. The more he did, the more sluggish he felt. He found himself stopping more often than he typically would to wipe his brow and catch his breath.

When he finished the first of his rounds, he stumbled to a sit beside one of the pillars he had erected along his pathway that leads our to the main road. The pillars he had place each held a lantern, which burned off oil he also traded for. As he sat, he took off he barrel pack setting it next to him before lying on his back. He propped himself up with his hands behind his head. Slowly, he shut his eyes, relaxing for the first time since yesterday.

"Just a small break..." he breathes heavily as he allows his mind to drift.

But this was a mistake for him. By the time he opened his eyes again, the sun was high in the sky. Half of his day was gone. It took a moment for the time lapse to sink in, causing his heart to race before he picked himself off the ground. He then trotted quickly inside, leaving everything else discarded on the ground where he lied. Inside, he removed his gloves and stripped himself of his workers garments. He changed into nicer clothes, sewn in the city and was shipped out to the market during a festival. It was one of his favorite shirt, a nice white lined with a golden design. He wore it with a short cape, a deep indigo with a golden design that matched white shirt. He tied around his waist a rope belt, just as an accent more or less. His pants were black, knickerbocker style, tightening just below his knees so that if he wore longer boots, they would easily fit beneath them. But the style of shoes he wore were simple sandals, weaved in the market city outside the imperial walls.

He tied the longer parts of his bangs, draping it over his shoulder before gathering everything thing once more for his offering. He double checked everything before setting out, still unhappy with how easily he lost track of so much time. His day was in complete disorder, leaving his mind a chaotic mess.

"I'll water everything when I get back," he tried to plan everything aloud to help remember everything else that he still had to do. "I'll get a small lunch prepared—something small since I should have been eating now. Maybe I'll fast until dinner. I could just prepare a pot, leave it simmer over the fire to stew while I finish my rounds and till the soil for the new plots for next season."

He kept putting off his prep work for the next season's harvests. He was so worked up with the approaching harvest festival season that it clouded everything else. This was the season where the crops where chosen for the royal family. They paid high prices, which helped towards growing more and more crops for the coming years. For years now, Seto's produce had been picked over and over. Even by himself, he was able to grow such high valued food. While he had planned on starting tilling for the new plot the day before, he was blind sided by his brother's surprise return. It's not like actually detoured the amount of time that he had, which was still plentiful before the next season. It was just… a distraction.

And if this kept up, Seto feared he would end up behind. "I guess I can till tomorrow. I can go to bed after dinner and make up for my lost sleep..."

He took a calming breath, picking up the items required for his prayer and finally setting out. He headed out in the direction of the shrine, following the path out to the main road. He walked the edge of the road, treading through the hills and admiring the views as he counted the number of larger fish that would cast their distorted shadows across his walkway.

It wasn't long before the surprise of him humming stole all of his attention. His pace slowed as he recalled the melody. He knew this, but it was unfamiliar to him. Where had he heard this tune?

"Ah, right..." He thought aloud. "The woman at the shrine..."

How easily he remembered her song, as if he knew it word for word. Normally, Seto wasn't a fan of music. Something about that tune though—it stuck with him. Even if it was a completely foreign language to him, it struck a chord and took hold tightly to his subconscious.

"Damn dragon bloods…." He was being dramatic. "What's with that strong presence anyway?"

And as if on queue, something caught his eye as he neared the top of the hill he climbed. Something was glistening off in the distance, the reflection of the sunlight bouncing off whatever it may be. As he continued to hum, he still walked the bath towards the shrine, but couldn't take his attention off the glistening object.

Sure enough the beams were hitting off of a bracelet, worn on her right wrist by a cloaked woman. The very same woman from the day before, whom bore such a beautiful prayer and was denied by the southern dragon all the same. Unlike the time he had seen her at the shrine, she was wearing much more casual clothes beneath her cloak. No longer silk robes, but still a beautiful dressed, lined with silver jewelry and laced down her sides from beneath his breast to the tips of her hips. The trim of the ends of her dress were unlike anything he had ever seen, creating a style he couldn't hope to describe. The sky blue color complimented her though, and the clock she wore was a shimmery, see through darker blue, making it so he could see the deep cut in the back of her dress, laced with chains crossing across the cut.

As much as he detested the dragons, he couldn't help but be enchanted by her beauty. Even from afar, she stood out among the scenery and he couldn't look away. The woman stood at the edge, where the path met the dome. The way she stared at it was as if she had been studying it for the first time in her life. Like she had never been this close to the edge.

Seto watched as hesitantly, she rose her right hand and placed it against the dome's service.

His heart sank, as he sped his pace. "H—Hey! Don't do that!"

He found himself rushing to her as she was taken off her guard. She jumped in place and turned quickly to face him, though never removing her hand from the dome itself. It was at that instance that her hand was suddenly sucked through the edge, as if phasing though a giant bubble.

Her attention snapped back to the dome as it seemed to try to pull her forward with a greater force, "What the—"

Seto dropped everything that he had been carrying, now in a full sprint to her. By the time her whole arm had been forced out all the way up to her shoulder, Seto had finally reached her. Quickly, he was at her side and reached his own hand through the edge. Not waiting it to soften to his touch, it felt like he was punching through a wall of glass, cutting the knuckles of his right hand before he firmly and tightly grabbed hold of her arm, just below the bend of her elbow. After taking hold, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, and pulled the two of them backwards with all his might.

With a quick tug, he was able to free their arms, throwing the two of them back onto the ground. He felt the pain of hitting his tail bone race up through his spine and all the way to his teeth, while he was steadily able to catch the woman against him. He closed his eyes tightly as he took in a few deep breaths before he loosened his grip on her arm and waist. After a moment, the woman climbed off his lap and to his side. She held her now bare wrist, while staring at Seto with concern. When he opened his eyes, he was met with her gaze once more.

He huffed, trying to regain composure. "It may feel like glass, but those of dragon's blood can bleed through the dome like a force field… It's used as a means of traveling quickly to other parts of the city outside the imperial walls by using the currents. Didn't anyone teach you that when you were a kid?!"

The girl pulled herself back a bit, her eyes offsetting their stare with those distasteful white pupils surrounded by icy blue hues. She looked away even more before stammering finally, "Is… is that common knowledge around here?

Her voice was shaky. He was sure that all of her was still trying to comprehend what just happened and level back to a calm, just as he was trying to do. It was much more refreshing to speak with her like this, instead of feeling the intimidation that he felt at their first meeting.

"You mean to tell me it's not common everywhere?" Seto rolled his eyes, not feeling the lack of control he had prior to their first conversation. He looked over his shoulder, cursing as he realized that he just ruined everything that he had prepared for his offering. "Shit..."

As he stood and dusted himself off, the woman just noticed the scattered about items and produce along the ground just feet away from the two. With a sigh, Seto turned back to the vexing woman, who was causing him nothing but trouble at this point. She may have out done him with her offering, but she was surely becoming nothing more than a nuisance to him. He stared at her for a moment, while she could only look at the mess that she had caused.

Holding a stern stance, he offered out his hand to assist her. "Sorry I grabbed you like that… This isn't one of the designated spots for entering a current for travel. It's a rough patch and would likely have swallowed you out too far from the limits. Likely, you would have drowned after losing consciousness from the shock..."

She snapped back to reality, turning and looking back up at his eyes before tracing his arm with her gaze, all the way down to his hand. "I—I see… Thank you."

Hesitantly, she reached forward. As their hands clasped, Seto caught a glimpse of her arm, reddened with his hand print and turning purple where his fingertips had begun to dig too deep into her pale white skin. His eyes narrowed, unaware of his own brutal strength. Though a carrier of dragon's blood… She was still a frail girl, something Seto had originally pushed out of his mind.

"Let me get you some ice." He pulled her to a stand, "I don't want you to bruise more than you already have."

But she seemed to ignore him, turning her attention back to the edge. He couldn't begin to imagine what was going through her head. As she fiddled her fingers around her wrist, Seto only then noticing the lack of the bracelet that had originally drawn his attention to her. She must be concerned about the loss of it.

"Do you want to walk with me, or wait here?" Seto called to her again.

But she refused to look at him. "Do you think it will be found by the people outside the ocean?"

The question took him by surprise, as it was something he hadn't considered. "Does the thought of that scare you?"

Her gaze fell to the ground, clearly showing that was the case here. Everyone here followed strict rules when it came to the history of the outside world. No one from outside Atlantis would ever be allowed to enter this world, just as it was forbidden for any Atlantian to leave the boarders that the king had created, limiting even how far outside the dome anyone could travel. Everyone born here would never be able to see the world above the sea. No one would ever know this place existed, however, just finding Atlantis would be an even greater feat, since it's been thousands of years since the kingdom used to breathe the air of the surface world. With the king's hopes, the history of Atlantis should be long forgotten, and sunk with the city itself.

"Everyone out there is too far off to even discover a bracelet that will most likely sink to the ocean floor..." He tried to reassure her. "And even if they did, they wouldn't know it came from an Atlantian. No one out there knows of our existence."

It was haunting, how he nearly recited the exact words of advice he received from his mother years and years ago. A memory that was buried within him of when he lost a toy in the same manner as a child was brought to mind. He groaned remembering it.

Though the advice was meant to comfort her, the woman only frowned. "I see..."

Seto couldn't hope to understand her. "Will you come with me? Or will you stay here and wallow it over?"

Her eyes suddenly widened, as she turned and looked at him intensely. "What?"

"For the ice?" Their eyes met, their gaze locked.

"Oh. That..." She wouldn't look away, though she blinked a few times to escape the trance. "No, that's alright. I don't to cause you any more burden."

His expression fell. "It'll plague me more, knowing that I hurt you and did nothing about it."

She slowly looked down at her arm, moving her hand up from her wrist to the spot where his hand had left its mark. "Sir, you saved me from a vortex just now. You've hardly done anything to hurt me. In fact, I should be indebted to you."

One of her braids fell from behind her ear, and she pushed it back as she looked back to Seto. She seemed so serious about that, but Seto only became flushed at the silly request. "Then just let me tend to your wound, and the debt will be paid. Then I can get back on track with my day."

She stood her ground as she again looked back at him. "If that's what it would take, than I will do as you wish."

He couldn't figure out what was causing these sudden knots in his stomach, but he was glad that she agreed to allow him to help. "One more thing. My name is Seto. No need to call me 'sir.' I'm just a farmer. I don't deserve that title."

"Seto." She repeated it to herself to remember it. "It's nice to formally get your name."

"And what shall I call you?" He scratched the back of his head as he averted his eyes from her gaze.

A gentle smile lit on her face. "Kisara. My name is Kisara."


	5. A Helping Hand

_**Author's Notes:** I fixed up some spelling and grammar issues in the last chapter (mostly towards the ending. The words flow a little better and make more sense in some sentences. Fixes were made after Seto see Kisara touching the dome's edge._

* * *

It was a mostly quiet walk back to his home, the only sounds being the crunching of the cobblestone and dirt between the two's feet. Seto led the woman across the hills and down the path to his farm. She followed closely behind him, leaving Seto to wonder why she didn't walk at his side. As the house came into view, Seto couldn't help but let out a yawn. Not only was he still feeling the exhaustion from his lack of sleep, but he was now sore from his battle with the edge. He flicked his fingers at his side to remind himself to not only ice the girl's wounds, but to tend to his only cuts.

Before reaching the door to his home, he looks over his shoulder, as the girl had slowed her pace to stare at his field of crops. By the time he had his hand on the door, the woman had come to a stop, just staring endlessly at it. Seto questioned if she was always this aloof considering that every time now that he'd seen her, she was getting lost in her own mind.

But this gaze she held, it felt familiar. More than just the fact they'd met briefly the day before, but a feeling that he could only describe to be nostalgia. And yet… it felt like there was something in between them that would keep them apart. It put pain in his chest, but he blamed it on having a shortness of breath from the blow to his tail bone.

"Coming?" He called to her, not as intensely as he had earlier.

It took a moment before she replied. "Yeah. It's just… This is the fields you want to protect, right? The ones you wanted to pray for?"

Seto now join her in stares to his land. "Yeah. I'm one of the few farmers around here that grow food for the kingdom. Every year, they send out someone to determine which farm will have the honor of having their harvested goods used for the royal family. For the last six years, my crops have been chosen among the rest. My fields are smaller than the other farms though, so I have to work extra to make sure each harvest is more bountiful than the last. Every season, I add a new plot and expand on my land."

"Don't you have anyone to help you?" Kisara now turned her attention to him, absorbed in his voice.

"I used to..." He sighed, "but like most of the men around here lately, my brother went to the imperial city to find work as a soldier. It seems like when anyone around here grows up, they just want to leave and head to the city."

"What about you?" She asked a lot of questions. "Do you plan to go there?"

He bit the inside of his bottom lip for a moment before choosing his words. "My brother's going to be receiving judgment from the oracle and wants me to be there for it. It's the only time I will ever go past the market town at the kingdom's walls. While I'm sure he'll try to get me to sell the farm and stay, I don't see the appeal..."

He turned his gaze back to Kisara, who smiled gently his way. "You prefer the edge then?"

"You could say that," he turned away from her, opening the door to his house and walking inside while expecting her to follow him in. "I like my line of work out here. And if not me, who would uphold our family's farm?"

"So it's really just you working these lands?" She stared back to the fields for a moment before finally following him inside.

"I've no reason to lie about that." Walking inside, the two enter into the kitchen. "My mother passed a long time ago and my father's a whole other story. I haven't seen him in years either. Mokuba left only months ago, but visited recently to give me the invitation for his judgment. And that's all there is to my family."

"M—Mokuba?" She quietly repeated, saying nothing more about it. "I see. So one last thing..."

As Seto pulled out a chair from his table, implying for her to sit and wait, he looked back to her, watching her confused expression. "Go on. It's been a while since I've had to talk so much, but I don't mind."

She seemed to get flushed as he said that, but she took a seat as Seto stepped to the side, walking to the corner of the kitchen and pushing aside a small cabinet to reveal a cellar door.

"If you didn't have this farm… would you have wanted to go live in the city with your older brother?" Kisara sat with her hands resting on her lap as she inspects the kitchen and studying the layout of the house. "Or would you still live out here, even if you weren't working as a farmer?"

He grabbed hold of the boards of the cellar door, lifting them upwards and pushing it open. It wasn't that he had trouble answering her question, but it was quite the opposite. He could answer every question she had with ease, and atop that… Truthfully. Seto didn't talk much to people at all, but it was like he had no problem just blabbering away with her.

"I'd miss the trees, the wooden structures, and the fresh air. The view of the open ocean is wider on the edge than anywhere else in Atlantis. You can see all the fish in the sea just as you walk outside. There's no bridges over head casting shadows and stealing away what little sun light we get. When there's storms above the ocean, I can watch the waves fight one another, and the currents warm the area as they become quickened with rage." Seto looked to Kisara, letting the cellar door fall back and lean against the wall. "Even without this farm, I'd find something to do out here. It's the only place I feel at home. It's the only place that's different from the rest of the kingdom."

And she was quiet once more, giving nothing more than a simple nod to acknowledge that she had heard him. As her gaze fell to her hands, she again fidgeted with her bare wrist. Seto also averted his gaze, looking forward as he crouched and jumped into the crawl space that he could barely stand in. Below the floor boards of his kitchen was a cellar where he kept all the things that needed to be kept cold. The room was lined with bricks for insulation, the floor however rounded to a drain where the melt-water would gather. While there wasn't too much ice held down here at the moment, it was usually stock piled with it for the preservation of his crops.

He took a short look around the room, making a mental reminder to bring a few barrels of water down to prepare to make more ice for the arriving harvest. He then stepped forward, grasping some of the chunks that lay scattered on the shelved wall. With that, he ascended back to the kitchen, climbing out and standing back up. He walked over to his stone sink, looking around for a cloth that he could wrap the ice in. The one he saw however was dirtied, so he walked out of the kitchen and into his small bedroom, grabbing one of his face washing clothes that he had hung to dry at some point. He placed the chunks of ice in that, wrapping it and returning to the kitchen where Kisara awaited him.

He walked forward, handing the ice to her. That's when she saw the cuts on his knuckles, causing her to hesitate. She looked up to his eyes, in which he rolled and just gestured again for her to take the ice. Again, she looked at his hand before reaching forward and taking hold of the makeshift ice bag. She then looked to her own wound, the bruises more prominent now that they had time to form. She placed the cloth on her arm and closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Seto. For putting up with me. Both now and yesterday." Her voice was calm, but sounded so sad.

"That's one way to put it." He went back to the cellar door, pulling it shut, and standing once again. "You don't have to thank me for doing something that anyone should do."

"But I've caused yet another interruption for your prayer… I feel as I should do something for you in return." She opened her eyes, locking her gaze with him yet again.

Just like before, he felt like he couldn't look away, trapped in place by her stare. "You don't owe me anything. Consider it an act of kindness… And don't worry about the prayer. I'll head there after I've gathered new produce and cleaned the bowl I use."

"Why not use the same ones?" She was curious. "Just because you dropped them doesn't mean they're tainted."

He felt a bit offended by her question. "I may not have extravagant displays for my offerings like yours were, but I don't want to give the Dragon of the South anything less than perfect quality. This prayer is important to me..."

But the more he spoke, the more he realized that he was probably saying what she felt about her own offerings. She had so many to offer up…. And yet the winds blew for the first time and put out the flames of her incense and denied her of her wish.

"I'm sorry..." She turned her head to face the door, refusing to look at him as she heard the disdain in his voice.

"No, I'm sorry…" He could finally look away, using this time to move the small cabinet back in place over the cellar door.

The room was left in a silence that was deafening to him at this point. He felt like he should say something, but didn't want his words to cause her any offense. Her prayer must have meant so much to her… So much that she came to the Southern Dragon's Shrine just to give an impressive offering. The furthest place in Atlantis, and she came just to give a prayer here.

"What was it…. That you prayed for?" As soon as he asked, it felt like the air was swept from his lungs and his mind filled with regret.

Slowly, he turned his head back to her, but she didn't look back to him. Instead, she stared out the window of the door, again gazing at his fields. A calm befell Seto as he realized she hadn't been paying attention to him. He could breathe again, and shook his head to rid himself of the thought.

"Your offerings were beautiful." It slipped off his tongue. "I guess… You could say I'm jealous of their display. I'm sorry for having a tone before..."

"Thanks… I—well..." She shook her head before turning back to face him and a small smile curving on her lips. "I thought no one else cared for the Southern Dragon's shrine… It's so much smaller than the other shrines, and there wasn't a single offering when I arrived… I wanted to show her that I care… I'll be honest, I was surprised that in all the time that I've been here visiting, you were the only person who came to offer any kind of prayer to her."

His gaze fell to the floor. "The only time anyone else goes to the shrine is right before the harvests. Everyone always prays that their harvest will be the greatest so they would be chosen by the royal family… Honestly, I fall into that selfish mass as well."

"You must care for something greater than that, to go more often though." She exhaled a deep breath. "'A good harvest, bountiful gain for the royal family, protection over my fields, and guidance for the coming years.' Those things you pray for… What about those are selfish? You weren't asking for riches, for the fame of the royal family's acknowledgment. You must have good morals to word things the way you do."

He snickered. "At least someone thinks so."

After that comment, he clenched and released a fist, feeling the cuts on his knuckles beginning to feel like they were scabbing over. He turned to the same cabinet that he had pushed away earlier, leaning down and opening it to rummage through. He found some bandages, and a vial of alcohol he used for clean wounds like these. It was one of the few things he could look back on and thank his father for preparing him for things like this.

"_You'll get hurt sometimes. This may hurt to clean, but it'll be far worse if you let the wounds fester."_ The memory of his words played in his head.

But he quickly pushed the thought away as he closed the cabinet, and returned to the table where Kisara sat in the chair adjacent to. From the corner of the kitchen, he grabbed the second chair, the one that used to be Mokuba's seat, and pulled it over to join her at the table. Sitting, he unrolled the bandages, and bit the cork cap off the vile. He held the bandages over the top of the vile, holding it in place with his other hand before turning it upside, minimizing the amount of alcohol that poured from it. Once it started to soak through, he flipped the vile back to its resting position before scrunching the bandage in his hand to soak more of it.

As he started to wrap his hand, Kisara set down the cloth bag of ice and turned her whole body towards him. "Here, let me help."

Seto could only stare, but nodded as he held his hand forward to her. She removed what he had already wrapped, mimicking what he had already done to soak the bandages, but in a more delicate manner that both soaked the bandages more and didn't spill even a small dribble. After setting down the vile, she rubbed the soaked bandages in her hands, before clapping her hands together like she was about to preform a prayer. She even closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before finally wrapping up his hand.

His hand definitely burned, but the sensation was much warmer than he anticipated. "What was that all about?"

"It's what the healers in the city do." she giggled, continuing the wrap. "I know it's childish, but part of me always believed that even someone like me without magic could heal wounds faster if I did what they do."

"That is childish." He chuckled. "But there's nothing wrong with that. I was just curious."

"There." She finished bandaging his wound before sitting back against the chair, and resuming tending to her own bruises. "I don't think I mentioned before, but your home is beautiful, from the interior to the exterior. Your fields are graceful."

"I wouldn't call this shabby place beautiful." He wiggled his fingers, get a feel for how tight the bandages were. "But I do take pride in my fields, so I will take the compliment. You have my thanks."

With that said, a silence once again filled the room. Neither of them could figure out a thing to talk about. To fill the void, Seto cleaned up the left over bandages and the vile of alcohol. He'd have to buy some more to have ready for the next time he'd surely manage to get himself hurt. The vile was nearly empty at this point, but he still wanted to keep it where he'd remember it being.

As he finished up, a thought finally came to his mind, "So you're from the imperial city?"

"The Dragon's District to be specific..." For some reason, she didn't sound genuine when she answered. "Where all those who are more closely related to the first White Dragons are taken to."

The flaw in their city. Anyone one with even the smallest resemblance to the original white dragons was force from their homes to live in the imperial city's Dragon District. He had heard that it was littered with orphaned children, taken from their families at such a young age only to never see their families again. Sure, there were others around who would take care of them, especially being so high in status compared to the rest, but even they don't get the freedom of those in the lower classes. The King's will to keep the dragon's close to him would always trump the will of his people. It was his law. And opposing him was a lost cause.

"I'm sorry to hear..." He couldn't turn to face her knowing that fact, "I'm sorry to have asked."

"It's alright," her tone still seemed to waver. "I'm not bothered talking about it."

"It's taboo though..." Seto didn't want bad karma from speaking about it. "So what brings you to the Edge? So far away from the city?"

She closed her eyes, momentarily dreaming of her own desires. "To see the shrine, and experience what it feels like to be so far away from home for the first time. It took years to get my father to agree to letting me visit this place. He wasn't all too happy about it either."

"Your father?" He finally turned back around, leaning against the small cabinet.

"Well, he's not my birth father," she continued her tale, "but he's the father figure who took me in and raised me."

"Understandable… From what I hear, that's pretty common..." Seto fidgeted with his bandages. "I don't really understand why no one likes for the dragon bloods to go anywhere outside the kingdom walls. I've spent the majority of my life trying to stay outside the walls."

"So you don't much like the city either?" Kisara smiled up at him. "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

But hearing that was heart breaking. Every bone in his body felt sore knowing that she would never have the freedom that he had. Much like the others with dragon's blood. It was just like his mother, being forced away from her home to live as a servant for the princesses and the queens.

However, Seto did want to try to lighten the mood. "You mean you don't get tired of the white walls every where and the constant decor of silvers and gold?"

"Oh deary me, never!" The sarcastic tone made him chuckle.

"It's refreshing to meet someone from the city with an actual personality." Seto sighed. "It seems like everyone else is so prim, proper, and holds themselves so high. I won't lie, I was intimidated by you at first. But… You're odd. In a good way?"

"Odd in a good way." She repeated again, looking rather confused by Seto's choice of words. "Are you always so forward?"

"Not in the slightest. But I find it rather easy to talk to you." His eyes met the floor. "We probably met in a past life. If I had to guess, that would probably be why I'm comfortable talking to you. I've never felt the connection to anyone else."

Kisara held her tongue for a moment before averting her eyes. "There's always a chance."

As Seto looked back at Kisara, he face was rather flushed. "How's your arm?"

"Hm?" She must have been in a daze again. "Oh, it's alright. It doesn't actually hurt. I don't want to have to explain this to my escorts. They're over protective..."

"And yet they let you about by yourself?" Seto snickered. "Did they let your wander or did you run off?"

The mischievous expression as she raised her brows said enough. "I may have bribed one of them..."

Seto snickered, liking this girl even more.

"Speaking of… I should probably get back to them…" Kisara turned a bit in her seat and handed back the cloth of now melting ice. "Seto, I thank you again for today. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Not at all," he pushed himself forward as to no longer be leaning. "Why don't you keep that. I'll at least walk you back as far as you want. I'm sure your escorts won't take to kindly to you running off and showing up with some guy."

Kisara took it into consideration. "Why don't you walk me to the shrine? You still need to do your prayer after all. Two birds, one stone."

It was pretty logical. "Two birds, one stone. Alright, let me just gather what I need for the offering."


	6. Fables

**Authors Note: I'm proud to announce that I have a discord now under the name of KisaraBlueAshes. From now on, I'll be posting updates and so much more over there. Feel free to jump in and see the mini stories I write, discussions of Yu-Gi-Oh related things, previews of the chapters I'm working on, and you can even ask me anything you'd like over there!**

**Also, thanks so much for being patient with me.**** I know I'm not quick on uploads and it can be frustrating. I'm hoping this discord will help keep me motivated for writing not just my fanfictions, but also my original stories too!**

**I hope to see those of you who'd like to join over there! Perhaps we can even put our minds together and create a story collab! 3**

**~KBA**

* * *

The walk to the shrine was mostly quiet. Small things kept stealing away the girl's attention though, like the way the bits of gravel kicked away beneath her feet, the way you could see the movements of the water currents across the dome's edge, and things like how the few people we did pass would greet us with a simple word or gesture.

When asked why it was so fascinating, Kisara would explain to Seto of how different things were in the city. People were not social in passing. All the roads are paved and smooth. And everyone knew the dome was only visible this close at two areas in all of Atlantis, "The Edge" at the South and the "Sandy Wasteland," as she called it, to the East of the kingdom. But even the city had high bridges over them. According to Kisara however, there was never a single view to where one could see the dome so closely, except for the High Queen's royal chamber.

While the White Dragons of the East, South, and West were considered "Queens" at a certain age, it was the White Dragon of the North who was considered the one true Queen; The High Queen. Ever incarnation of her would be wed to the King, and assume the highest authority next to the King himself. The High Queen held a chamber at the tallest point of the castle, which was also the highest place in all of Atlantis.

Seto's mother used to tell him stories about the Kingdom of Atlantis, one of them being a tale where the High Queen's chamber was actually the only thing keeping the dome from closing in on the kingdom. The memory coming to mind gave him a slight chuckle, knowing all too well that it was fictitious. At least the thought to him was still amusing.

"What's so funny?" Kisara questioned with a curious gleam.

"Just a silly memory." Seto smiled back at her as they continued forward. "My mother use to tell me fairy tales of old, and once told me the Queen's Chamber is the only reason the Dome doesn't shrink down." He tilted his head back slightly to stare at it. "I'm not sure why it came to mind, but I always found it funny."

With her hands held behind her back, Kisara stared up to face the massive dome, "Isn't that truth though? I was taught that her chamber held the essence that creates the dome's energy, so it begins there and surrounds the whole country, encasing it to keep the air trapped inside and yet remaining strong enough to keep the ocean and any rubble from breaking it."

Seto's eyes narrowed, "I mean, that sounds different from a giant bubble trying to shrink around the kingdom and only the chamber is preventing that."

The two laughed and continued forward to the Shrine as it came into view. As if suddenly reluctant to return, Kisara's pace had slowed as she began to grasp the fabric of her dress. She turned her head to look at town that was separated by only a few acres of farm lands. There was a longing in her eyes that went unnoticed. Though Seto could feel the air about them become heavy, he tried not to pay it any mind. His eyes followed the last of the path to the shrine, but dropped his own pace to match Kisara's and stay at her side. To him, it felt like the right thing to do.

That's when he turned to face her, following her gaze properly. Her eyes stared pass the small town and began to trace the dome that covered them all. He couldn't help but feel sorrowful yet again. There was never a moment that felt so cold as this though, seeing this longing she carried only made him think of his hatred towards the capitol.

He couldn't stifle his question this time. "You want to leave, don't you?"

At that moment, her focus was broke as she quickly turned to him. "Leave?"

"Atlantis… You want to leave it… Don't you?" He tried to hold his tongue, but couldn't.

Kisara was silent for a moment before replying. "Is it that obvious?"

Seto bit the inner of his cheek. "Not completely… I just know the familiarity of that stare. It's the same that I've had so many times."

"So, you want to leave as well…?" She answered her own question with another.

He averted his eyes before turning his body away from her. "I guess I've always wanted to leave. There's a whole world that only that past me, from hundreds and thousands of years ago could have ever known." He looked up, now staring up to the dome just as Kisara had done, longing for something he could never grasp. "Even if I'd hate that world beyond this cage, I just want to remember what it's like."

Closing his eyes and shaking his head, Seto turned back to her, a smile on his lips. "Sorry. I can't help but blabber nonsense around you. Feel free to tell me to shut it at any time."

A smile made it's way to her own lips. "It's okay. I could listen to you speak all day, if you had more stories to tell. I like that you're able to speak truthfully around me."

"Others won't?" Again, he asked aloud without a second thought.

When her smile faded, Seto felt as though he had overstepped a boundary, but was more surprised when she actually answered him.

"It's no that they won't, but the can't. It's the rule of authority, something not many know of. White Dragon's blood flows through me… So I will only be spoken to with high respect and treated as if I were above others… Even if I don't like it. I'd rather know how people actually see me, instead of lie and act like I'm so great." She came to a halt, and stared to her wrist as her other hand gently began to rub the pattern of her veins.

Seto was very aware of the rule of authority though. It was another thing that he was taught by his mother at a young age. It made his mother resent the city, where the majority of those living there are dragon bloods, and the closer the relation they have to the original dragons, the more power they carried over anyone else.

"You'd think they wouldn't be able to lie to you then… It's such a backwards complex." Seto stopped just a few paces after her.

"They only tell us what we 'want' to hear." It was easy to tell at this point that she was bothered by this conversation.

Seto's eyes fell to the ground as he turned to her. "I hope it makes you feel better to know that as long as I know you, I'll always be honest with you, even if it's not something you want to hear… I'm sorry if this conversation made you uneasy though, and I won't bring it up again."

When he lifted his eyes, Kisara only stared to him. While she wanted to trust his words, she didn't think he'd be able to retain such a promise, as the rule of authority wouldn't allow him to keep his word. Nevertheless, she still smiled softly, slightly cocking her head to the side. "I appreciate that. And no need to apologize. It's just not something I'm supposed to talk to much about. I don't get the chance to talk much about it though, so when the opportunity presented itself, I too blabbered on without reason."

For a second, Seto closed his eyes and again smiled softly. Reopening them, he reached his hand forward to Kisara, in hopes she'd take it. "Come on, before it gets too late and your escort throws a fit."

Kisara looked to his hand, lost for a moment on if she should actually take it. Again, she fidgeted her wrist while rubbing her thumb against her index finger. Slowly, she reached forward and hesitantly took hold of hand. He led her by her fingers up the stairs to the shrine, guiding her to the pillars where he could set his offering.

Letting go, he walked to the etched out shelf, and began lining the offering with produce and wheat. He stepped away to the pond, dipping in the bowl to receive fresh water. After retrieving that, he set the bowl in the center of the offering. He sprinkled in some spices and herbs, then placed over it a stick of incense. Using flint and a knife pulled from the holster on his belt, he ignited the incense, filling the air with an aroma of lavender and camomile.

The small distance away, Kisara watched, as Seto knelt on one knee, his left foot forward. He cupped his fist into his left hand just before his chest, and closed his eyes as he gave his prayer. It felt rude for her to stare, so she turned herself back towards the entrance, staring off a way. He prayed, as she wished to herself. She, too, closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent and welcoming the wave of quiet nothingness. They were just far enough off to not hear the local chatter of the town, which made the silence slightly eery, but not enough to make the moment less peaceful.

Kisara held her hands together behind her back and began to sway from side to side. By the time Seto finished his prayer, he quietly stood and opened his eyes. Turning back to her, he could only stare. What to say at this point? What more could the two have between each other? While at first he found her to be intrusive on his plans… He found himself happy to be pulled away by her. Seto was drawn to her, in a way he wasn't sure that he could explain.

For a man who wanted nothing more in life that to get to work, he found himself in that moment, wishing that it didn't have to come to an end. "So your escort will be here to gather you shortly?"

He broke the silence, but Kisara still swayed with her eyes closed. "Most likely. I wouldn't be surprised, but who knows. Maybe he won't show up til later tonight. I tried to get him to go enjoy himself and explore the town. He didn't really want to though. Part of me hopes he did." Finally, she spun back around. "So what will you do now that you've finally gotten in your offering?"

His eyes lost focus as he thought about his schedule. "I supposed I should tend to the fields. I'll be honest, I'm rather exhausted today though. I didn't sleep well last night. I ended up passing out on the hills earlier when I took a break, which is what originally made me late. And then… Well, I happened upon you."

She still smiled as she apologized, "I'm sorry about that. I was being rather careless."

"I just hope you learned from it." Seto refocused on her eyes. "I guess that's what happens to people with white pupils. We get careless."

Her expression fell. "Wh—what?"

"It's what my father used to say..." Thinking about his father made his stomach turn in disgust. "'People with white pupils are always have their minds in the clouds, and can never keep focused when something grabs their attention.' In other words… Careless."

Kisara suddenly looked bewildered, a world of confusion grabbing hold of her. She pulled her hand to her cheek, pressing just below her eye and whispering to herself, "White pupils…?"

"Did I… say something to bother you?" Seto was forward with his question for once, not feeling the hesitation that he normally felt when speaking with her.

Her eyes met his once more. "No. Nothing to worry about. It's just… It's odd that… Well..." She shook her head, "It's nothing. But I… On another topic of discussion was wondering..."

The two fell quiet for a moment as Kisara tried to gather herself. Seto was beginning to think that what his father told him was right. Her cheeks tinged a small bit of pink as she seemed to be lost in thought. He could only wonder what was going through her head, and what kind of things were plaguing her mind so badly to stop everything around her.

"I will be here for a few more days," She finally continued on, hugging her arms to her chest and looking back at him. "Would you… come back to the shrine sometime? So that we can meet again?"

Seto's eyes widened. He had not expected to hear such a request of him. "I… Uhm… What about your escort? Won't he get upset if you keep running off?"

"Not if it's to the shrine." Kisara explained, "The whole reason I'm here is to visit the shrine. I was given seven days upon my arrival to visit the shrine and visit the edge. As long as I'm at the shrine, I don't need an escort. If I go else where though… Well, I'm supposed to be accompanied so that I don't get hurt or..."

She didn't want to explain further, nor did she have to. "I get it. My mother was a dragon's blood who fled from the inner city. What ever your position is, I'm sure it's higher than hers was though."

Again, she was quiet for a moment before speaking, "Tell me more about her tomorrow?"

"If you really want me to, sure." He felt his cheeks become flushed as he scratched the back of his head. "Well then… I better… Head back to the farm. I'll be back by to clean this up after the sun falls."

"Right. Right..." She awkwardly smiled, and stepped aside from the stairway she blocked by the entrance. "I'm sorry to keep you. I hope the rest of your evening is pleasant."

"I'm sure it will be." He left his hand on the back of his neck. "Be safe getting to where you're staying tonight. It's darker at the edge than it is in the city. But, at least the moon is easier to see from out here. Anyway. I'll… see you tomorrow."

The two smiled at one another, and instinctively, Seto bowed before making his leave. Though he couldn't figure out exactly why his body made himself bow, he could guess that it was a reflex engraved into his muscle memory from a previous life. Kisara grabbed the sides of her dress, and gave a light curtsy, lowering her head in acceptance to his leave.

And as he made his leave, Kisara watched as he walked away. Her eyes never left him, until he could no longer be seen down the path and beyond the hills.

That's when her stance changed. Her atmosphere became strong, and her demeanor again became intimidating. She turned her back to his direction, and made way to the entrance of the shrine's inner sanctuary. Leaning on it's wall with is foot pressed against the stone was her escort, whom had been awaiting her return. She knew he had been there. The moment she got close enough to the shrine, she could sense him.

"How much did you hear?" Kisara demanded.

He looked up, his purple eyes peeking past the dark hues of his bangs. Standing straight, he crossed his right arm over his chest and his fist lie above his heart. His other arm lie stiff at his side, and he answers with a deep tone. "I hadn't listened in, your highness. I do admit, I'm surprised to see that you've made acquaintance with my younger brother though."

"It would seem he is at this shrine quite often." She took a deep breath before walking past him back into the shrine.

"I visited him after we arrived." The man explained, turning to follow Kisara into the shrine. "He makes offerings more often than anyone I've ever known here."

The moment his foot clicked onto the stone, Kisara stopped in her tracks. "Mokuba. If I'm to answer the prayers of those left here, I need you to leave this sanctuary. Close the doors behind me, and wait past the garden."

He stepped back, bowing in the same salute he had addressed her in. "Of course, milady. My apologizes for my insubordination. I shall await your leave."

Glancing back over her shoulder, Kisara waited for Mokuba to close the doors behind her, and waited till his presence was far enough not to disrupt her senses. Once comfortable, she walked forward, staring to the massive statue of the Blue Eyes White Dragon before her. Beneath it's mane, she came to a halt. She reached her hand forward, the cloak falling back behind her shoulder blades. The eyes of the statue began to glow, a bright blue like sapphires glistening from starlight.

A deep sigh filled her lungs. Her skin felt suddenly cold, as the pattern of scales began to light across her body. As they did, scales too began to appear all over the statue. Her eyes began to glow, mimicking the structure before her. She lowered her arm at this point, and then lowered herself to both of her knees and placed her hands to her lap.

Though they couldn't be seen as anything more than a shimmer, the chains locked around her wrists began to take grip her tightly. While she would normally wince at the pressure, she knew in this moment that she could not. She looked to the floor, tracing the lining of the stone beneath her as she began to recite a text she had memorized long ago, in the tongue known only to the queens and the king; in the fluency that is the tongue of the Dragons.

_I hear your whispers. Speak your prayers. Tell me your secrets. I welcome your calls. I shall hold no bias, so long as your words follow laws. I seek your truths, and accept your flaws. Answer me this, what is it you seek?_

Millions of hushed voices began to fill her mind. The sounds of the whispers of prayers that had been told since the last she came to listen collectively overwhelmed her in a single instance. But not just prayers. Any words that were spoken within these walls. Any words said within the garden. Anything said near each and every column. The essence of each word that was spoken allowed or thought for her within this sanctuary all filled her head in a single moment.

And quickly, the lights faded. Scales no longer glowing. Eyes no longer illuminating. Her heart was pounding and her body quivered as she tumbled to the side. The statue seemed to gaze down at her, still glowing tremendously. But she was weak, and unaccustomed to answering the many prayers unlike her sisters. She was rarely allowed to visit her own shrine, and for that, the people who wish upon her would usually suffer in wait.

So many people cried out for her help, and many of those who had were no longer living. Yes, their soul carries on, residing within the hearts and bodies of those born a new… But she was always too late. And there was rarely a soul whom still believed him her will…

"Why must you see my eyes for what they truly are..." Tears began to flow down her face as she searched for the strength to try to pull herself up. "Your life… will only know misfortune to see me in such a way..."

She finally was able to sit back on her knees. Again, she recites her text, regaining her illumination, and beginning to seek out individual prayers through the many many voices that called out to her. She began to feel weightless, as the wind around her again began to pick up. It was never a sign. It was never an answer. It was merely something that happened during these rituals.

_Answer me this… What is it you seek?_


	7. When The Past Catches Up

When he returned that evening to clean up his offering, Seto had expected to see Kisara there. While he wasn't upset by her not being there, it still would have made for a more "interesting" visit with her there. He found it odd that his view of her flip flopped so easily. From an irritation to a decent acquaintance. She only had a few days to be here on the edge of Atlantis, and then he was sure that he'd never see her again.

But somehow, the thought of not seeing her again plagued his mind for the rest of his afternoon, up until he stood before his offering. The incense still burned on the wick, with just barely a few minutes before it would break and fall into the spiced water in the bowl below it. Usually, at this point, he'd put the wick out himself, and dip it into the water. This time, he just wanted to watch it, and let his thoughts just build up.

Within his mind, a new prayer formed. He closed his eyes as the thought felt even stronger. Even though he questioned why it was suddenly there, he still leaned down as he had earlier and pressed his fist into his opposite palm, and gave a short prayer before the wick finally fell apart. He couldn't remember the last time his prayers weren't the typical prayer for his harvest, but felt an inkling of influence from his meeting Kisara.

For a moment, he tinged a smile before standing back up, and finally cleaning up this offering. He discarded the produce, wheat, and spices into the compost that was created in the garden area. With a sigh of relief, he knew his day was finally coming to an end. Though it was earlier than he would have liked, Seto was very ready to settle in to bed and make up for his lack of sleep.

However, looking back at his hand, he was reminded that he needs to restock on more alcohol to clean his current and future wounds. Another sigh, but this was for a lack of motivation. After gathering the rest of his things, Seto turned to make his leave, taking no more than a few steps down the short set of stairs before halting once more. He stared towards the sea above, as a very light, chilled bit of wind tickled the back of his neck. He quickly covered the spot where he felt it with his hand, warming it back up.

Slowly, he turned to look back, expecting to see… something. Only there wasn't anything out of the norm. He began to wonder if there was a spirit trying to contact him. It was no myth that spirits were connected to the people of Atlantis, and even the Oracle had the eyes to see the spirits, both living and ghosts of the beyond. It's not often that there's a spirit strong enough to make itself known, at least not anymore. It's not unheard of though.

"Hello?" He asked aloud, his tone very typical for his normal speech.

But there was no response, and the feeling that someone, or something that had been there had vanished after his voice had been heard.

Seto gave another minute to accept the calm and the silence before continuing to take his leave. First to the town, and then homeward bound. As he made his way down the path, he hummed again the tune he had heard Kisara sing in the shrine. How easily she crept back into his mind. He questioned how often this was going to happen to him at this point. Perhaps it was a past self that has drawn him to her again in this life? What else could explain this phenomenon better?

As he hummed the tune during his trot, he hadn't noticed as he had already walked through the entrance of the village. He tried not to look around to see if anyone was looking his way. Seto was not exactly liked by everyone, and he was sure that there wasn't a single person who didn't know who he was and what his father had done. No matter how much he denied his family name, he couldn't escape the fact the he is a spitting image of his father.

"Hey there, stranger!" The voice that caught his attention wasn't someone whom he wanted to see.

But Seto acted as if she hadn't caught his attention, ignoring her as he continued to walk away. In truth, he knew he would be bound to see here again eventually. He really would rather avoid her at all costs though. Pretending that he hadn't heard her at all.

"Seto? Hey! Did ya' hear me?" her footsteps quickened and trailed behind him. "Hello!?"

At this point, he knew that that the woman would be aware that he's ignoring her. She was even louder as she called out to him. There's no way he hadn't heard her. And yet, he continued forward still. With a sigh, he refused to utter a word to her. When the woman acknowledged that she was being ignored, she scoffed.

"Really? Giving me the silent treatment?" her voice was as peachy as ever.

The girl's hair was dark like coal, long and wavy. Her eyes were bright like embers. She was unique in her own right. Her skin was surprisingly darker than most anyone else in Atlantis. Everyone else was pale, but she so very much stood out with her honey skinned tones. Though her smile was bright with her pearl white teeth, Seto no longer liked the smile she bore. He used to adore her, so much that she had at one point consumed his every thought and he had even considered spending his entire life by her side. But every curve she now carried… He couldn't stand to look at.

She was no longer his. She betrayed that trust.

"I have nothing to say to you right now, Dezi." Seto continued forward without turning her way. "Forgive me for wanting to hold my tongue."

"I just wanted to invite you to the wedding." She continued to follow, which made Seto roll his eyes. "I'm sure you heard about Alistair and I?"

Seto stopped in his tracks. He didn't look at her. "Of course I heard. Word spreads like fire around here. And I'm sorry, Dezi, but I'm declining the invitation. It's nothing to do with how things ended. In fact, I'm truly happy that you found someone you can have for the rest of your living life."

"If you're over it, then why won't you come?" Dezi stepped in front of him, forcing him to look down to her. "We were best friends before we decided to start a relationship! It really sucks that you just don't even talk to me any more!"

"Dezi." He closed his eyes and bit the inner of his bottom lip. "How many people want the son of the only murderer at their wedding? Alistair, your parents, your friends, your family; do you honestly think a single one of them would want me to be there?"

"It doesn't matter what they think." She rose her voice. "It never did."

"And yet, they're the ones who 'convinced you' to leave me, right?" He rose his voice back at her. "That's what you told me. You didn't have to lie to me Dez. Had you just told me that you didn't want to be with me, and that you had fallen for someone else instead of me finding you two together before you even tried to end it, I would have happily supported you… While I've gotten over that it happened at all, the thing that still bothers me is that you'd so easily try to act like it never happened in the first place!"

Other villages began to eye the two, as they bickered in the street. Seto looked around, knowing that no matter what he said, it wouldn't make a difference. He would always be in the wrong, because of his blood and who his family was. One last time, he looked down to Dezi.

"I'm not here to yell at you. I didn't even plan to see you any further." Seto tried to calm his breathing, even though he couldn't steady the racing of his heart beat. "I'm here on my personal errands. Please excuse me."

"We're never going to actually sit and talk about this, are we?" Dezi's eyes fell to her feet.

"There's no need to." He finally just walked passed her. "I stopped waiting for an apology a long while ago. And I've already said the things I needed to say."

Though he pushed his way past her and began walking away, she still turned to try to follow him. "I'm sorry, okay?"

But Seto kept forward, not caring if she was there or not. He had full intentions of just getting to the market and getting his alcohol and leaving. If she followed him all the way home, than so be it. He tried to do his best to tune her and the rest of the people who started to stare at the two as they passed by. He wasn't even sure when she stopped chasing after him, but when he finally glanced over his shoulder to see her no longer there, he finally felt relieved.

"I knew I shouldn't have come here today…" He spoke to himself, before again being enveloped by the tune that he hummed.

Everyday, all he ever wanted to do was follow his routine. Work on his farm. Tend to his fields. Dezi never liked that he spent so much time working instead of trying to have fun. But Seto wasn't her equivalent. He was his own person. Ironic though, seeing as her new fiance, Alistair, was also one of the local farmers. At least she found someone who wouldn't work as much, and Seto was fine with that. He didn't need the company of others. He didn't mind the solitude.

He preferred it... At least he thought he had for the longest time. But as he paid for his items at the market stall, and he made his way home, the thoughts of that woman danced in his head.

The way she walked. The way she held herself so high. The way she stood out among all else, and caught his eye where no one else could. Her beautiful voice, and distracting atmosphere. Her slender curves. Her stunning complexion. And those damn eyes.

As he walked along the village roads, he looked to the top of the dome. His mind was full of her, and time was just passing by far to quickly. Looking at the dome made him remember the words that appeared in his head as she sung her song. The feeling over wanting to be touched by the sun's warmth, but never being able to grasp its heat... Where had her sun gone? Where had the day gone? Where had the time disappeared to?

And as he soon reached his home, he couldn't help but go straight inside and walk to his bedroom. He would now be cursed with the dreams of her while he slept. It's only been a short amount of time, and yet she's eating away at his conscious. Setting the alcohol he purchased to the stand within the room, he took to his cot. As he lied, Seto stared to the planks above him. His head still hummed the quiet tune. The memory of her was still freshly there. Seto held his wounded hand above his face. The cuts would leave their scars. It would be a reminder of her. Did he want to remember her after she leaves? Or should he even bother?

"You have… a presence like nothing else I've ever felt…"

He let his hand fall over his face, rubbing it up into his hair to push the bangs off his forehead. He closed his eyes and just left his arm over his face. He wanted to sleep, but the hazy image of her still clouded his mind. He didn't want the burden of feeling attachment to her. The few interactions they shared were so insignificant… But they are still consuming him. Why? Why was she so overwhelmingly stuck in his head?

"_W__ould you… come back to the shrine sometime? So that we can meet again?"_

Barely, he opened his eyes again, staring to the planks of the ceiling above him. "Why did I agree to go? I wonder…"

He blinked several times, the weight of his eyelids feeling particularly heavy. Giving in, he finally let them fall shut. Succumbing to the visions of her once more, the dreams he had were taking shape. Vividly, she appeared to him. Clear as day. Lucid as reality.

Where was it? This place in this dream seemed so familiar. The grass covered field, riddled with bits of flowers and weeds beneath a sun filled sky. The kingdom walls seemingly far off, but no so much that you couldn't see them. Brittle, white walls… She blended with the wall as scenery. Seto watched as she walked further away from the walls, her hands behind her back and each stride slow. Her feet were bare, and her hair swayed as though the wind had caught the two of them.

His body shook as if he could feel the chills. The walked, fighting against the gentle winds. Her outfit wasn't like anything she had worn before. The color of tree bark, surprisingly short. A dress that hung just above her knees, and the sleeves were cut to reveal her shoulders. The sleeves were long, and tight where they reached her wrists. Her hair was braided back, a tiara of gold placed upon her head that the strands gently threaded through. In her hands, she held two flowers. They look as though they had been freshly picked. She was careful not to step on the flowers they walked passed.

When she leaned down to pick a third flower, Seto could see her lips were moving. He couldn't hear her voice, but knew that she was speaking to him. There was no one else around other than him. When her lips stopped, she gazed back at him. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to look deep into his core. The curve of a smile lit her. She spoke again, but the silence was all that filled the air.

The back splashed faded around the two. The world was flooded with black, as the two stood in the emptiness. A different outfit, one of pure white. Another gown, floor length, with roses lining the stitching, leading from her breast where her heart would beat, all the way down her hip and meeting the floor. Her hair was down, small braids done throughout. Though beautiful in every way, she held an expression of sorrow. Her eyes avert from him, as her lips tremble more silent words. His dream self reached his hand forward, placing it gently on her cheek. She closed her eyes and nuzzled the warmth of his palm, before reaching up, and pushing his hand away.

But even then, she still held onto his hand. She was shaking, and didn't want to let go. When she finally looked to his eyes, she faked a smile, and the world around them melted away yet again. When he turned to look around, she was gone from his view. He was surrounded by books and scrolls, over filled on numerous shelves and even spreading across the red floor beneath his feet. He turned again, looking behind the many shelves. Rounding a corner, she burst in front of him! As if his dream self had been shocked, he jumped back slightly, but never once reached for the sword at his hilt. This was the first he had noticed that he even carried one.

The woman laughed, brightly, waling out from behind the bookcase. She held in her hands a green covered book, pressed with an emblem he couldn't recognize. The book was thick with hundreds of pages. As she trotted up beside him, she opened the book and flipped through the pages that were scribbled on with words he couldn't read in his dream state. She ranted about whatever the story told within it, but still he couldn't hear her. When she turned her head to look up at him, her face had never been so close. The warmth of a blush reddened her face as she fumbled back a bit.

Awkwardly, he looked away from her, seemingly clearing his throat before turning back to her, and yet seeing another new scene. The library that had formed around him was gone. Alone, Kisara stood before the Dragon Statue of the Southern Shrine, just as she had when he first laid eyes upon her. Her back was to him. She wore the same dress that she had when she was giving her prayer that time. Quickly, she turned to face him. But… her eyes were brightly lit. Her skin was covered in glowing veins that would trace her like scales. She was shackled with dimly lit chains that seem to fade into nothingness within the shrine. They wrapped her wrists, her ankles, and even her neck.

For the first time since he fell asleep, he could finally hear her voice. _"How long have you stood there?"_

And that was enough to wake him from his sleep inhaling deep breaths, as if he hadn't been breathing during the rapidly changing dreams. He was broke out in sweat, his arm still lingering over his face. Catching his breath, he sat back up, wondering just how long her had slept. It couldn't have been that long, right? He swung his legs over the edge of his cot and pushed himself to a stand. He walked to his kitchen, and then to the front door. He opened it, greeted by the dawn of the morning twilight.

"There's no way that was a full night of sleep…" He said aloud.

He stepped back inside and closed the door behind him. His mind may have felt like it slept for nothing more than an hour at most, but his body felt rejuvenated for the first time in days. He used his thumb and forefinger to rub his eyes and the bridge of his nose as he walked forward to his table, grabbing a chair and taking a seat.

At least this way, he could start on his routine early… And still have time to visit her at the shrine without it getting too late in the day.

* * *

_Apologies on it being forever since I uploaded. I kept wanting to add more to this chapter, but I feel it would be a better breaking point at where I ended this chapter with a better transition into the next one. I've got a lot of chapters already planned out for this story, and I'm not having as much trouble writing out this plot, like I currently am with "Her Sapphire Sky." (I'm sorry to everyone who is looking forward to HSS, but it may be a while before I upload the next chapter for it. I promise to try and get a chapter that I'm happy with to get up. Until then, I hope you all will enjoy "A Fractured History" in the mean time.)_

_I hope you're all enjoying the world I've imagined for Atlantis! There will be more world building to describe how the people live. I'd love to hear your feed backs and critiques on what you think! Progression is being made, and I can only hope you all will stick with me on this one. I'll do my best not to disappoint this time around._

_K.B.A._


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